


Borrowed Time

by carolinecrane



Series: down is where we came from [22]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-20
Updated: 2010-10-20
Packaged: 2017-10-12 19:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/128174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are lines Will doesn't cross.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Borrowed Time

There are lines Will doesn't cross.

It's not that he hasn't had the opportunity. Plenty of students have had crushes on him, male and female. The students at McKinley would be surprised to learn who's come on to him so far during his teaching career.

Granted, some of those come-ons were just enterprising students trying to keep their Spanish grade above passing. Most were bonafide crushes, though, and it's not surprising. Not that he's so irresistible, but he's close to their age – though not as close as he was once – and he's always related really well to the kids. He genuinely _likes_ them, unlike a lot of his colleagues, so that helps.

But he's never crossed that line, because his job comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, and these kids trust him to make the right choices. Even when they're making all the wrong ones.

He never even thought about crossing that line with Finn. For one thing, he's pretty sure Finn wouldn't have gone for it back in high school. He never came on to Will for a better grade in Spanish, never offered to blow him if he'd just forget about that missed test or that unfinished term paper. He never so much as lingered too long in the doorway to Will's classroom or after Glee rehearsal, so there was never any reason to think that Finn thought about him as anything other than just good old Mr. Schuester, teacher and advisor and…well, sort of a friend.

They're friends now, of course. And it's funny, because he never expected to stay in touch with Finn. He watched them all perform one last song on graduation day – a fantastic mash-up of Vitamin C and Green Day, if he does say so himself – with tears in his eyes the entire time, then he waved goodbye, clapped the guys on the shoulder and hugged the girls, and he figured that was that.

Maybe he'd see one or two of them around town during breaks. Maybe they'd all go on to bigger and better things, and when they flipped back through their yearbooks they'd spare a fond memory for Glee and Mr. Schue, the guy who showed them they really could achieve their dreams if they just believed it hard enough.

Or maybe they'd all fall flat on their faces and end up working retail. Either way, he figured he'd probably never know.

What he didn't expect was for Finn to look him up not even a year after graduation, to walk into his classroom one day after school and say, "Hey, Mr. Schuester, how's it going?"

He didn't expect Finn to blush like he was embarrassed to be there, and he definitely didn't expect his heart to pound in his chest as he waited for that moment, the first time a student actually waited until after graduation to come on to him, so he wouldn't have the excuse of being their teacher to say no.

Of course that's not what happened. What Finn did say was that he was thinking about studying education, and did Will have some time to talk to him about what he liked about teaching? So they went out for coffee, and Will told Finn the truth: That he'd be a great teacher, that he was a natural leader, both on the football field and during Glee. He'd exhibited those traits so often over the years that Will wasn't surprised at all to hear he was thinking about teaching. He was flattered and a little moved when Finn suggested it was Will's influence in his life that made him want to give that to some other kid.

After that it felt okay to check in with Finn every now and then, because Finn wasn't his student anymore, but he still looked to Will as…well, sort of a mentor. Will didn't like to give himself too much credit; Finn didn't really need him, after all, but it still felt good to make a difference in the life of someone he genuinely liked. Someone he cared about.

So he's spent the past three years checking in with Finn, and when Finn mentioned in passing one day how much he missed Glee, it seemed natural to invite him to join Will's theater group. He kept his distance during auditions and rehearsals, of course. Finn was still a kid, and it was better for him to spend his time with other kids his age. So Will hung out with the older actors in the group, and he went to work and coached Glee and he watched Finn grow up right in front of his eyes.

And it's great, it's fantastic to watch this kid he knew so well becoming…someone else. The same, but more. He's growing up, Will guesses, and when he finds himself watching Finn too much or finding excuses to talk to him, Will reminds himself that he's watched Finn grow up from a kid, and it's still not appropriate even if Finn's not his student anymore.

It's not like he's never been attracted to another guy. His first real crush was all the way back in high school, when he hero-worshipped Bryan Ryan. He was cool and talented and totally unattainable, and at the time Will thought he just wanted to _be_ Bryan. Later he'd figure out that mostly he just wanted Bryan to notice him as something other than the spazz in Glee Club, but by then it didn't really matter anymore.

He married Terri straight out of high school, so he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and just ignored them. Then there was Emma – sweet and safe and, as it turns out, also unattainable, at least for a guy like him who really doesn't know what it is that he wants.

He thinks he's starting to figure it out. He's just not sure what to do about it.

Because Finn…Finn's great, he really is. He's a good man, maybe a little conflicted about where his life's going, exactly, but that's all part of being young. But he's got a good heart, maybe the best heart of anybody Will knows, and he's got a natural talent for theater and he shines when he's up on stage, sure, but where he really shines is behind the scenes.

So far Will's the only one who's gotten to see that, and he's being greedy about it, he knows. He's roping Finn into helping him every chance he gets just so Will can watch him shift from that awkward, fidgety teenager to a confident, talented young man. He wants to watch it happen up close while he can, before Finn figures out what he's really got and starts sharing it with the world.

Will's not trying to hold him back. Mostly he's just trying to hold on.

And that's the thing, because Finn's not his to hold onto. Will thinks he could be, lately. Thinks if he asked, Finn would smile and maybe blush and stumble over his answer before he managed to choke out a 'yes'. Thinks Finn would look him right in the eye when he says it, just so Will's sure that he means it.

He thinks Finn stopped thinking of Will as his teacher a long time ago. And the funny thing is, lately Will's been feeling more and more like Finn's the one doing the teaching.

But there are lines he doesn't cross, and he's been on the other side of this one so long he's not sure _how_ to get across it.

Will takes a deep breath and looks at himself in the mirror one last time, running his hands over his hair and frowning at the lines around his eyes. He tells himself for the tenth time in an hour that this is crazy, that he should just call Finn and tell him something came up and he can't make it. They wouldn't even miss him, because no matter what Puck says, he's not really family.

Except that every time he reaches for his phone he sees Finn's face when he handed Will his address, the way his cheeks flushed and his lips parted, just a little, as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to form the words. And he still shouldn't go, but he's been greedy with Finn's time for a long time now, so he figures one more night can't hurt anything.

Will tucks his wallet into his pocket and picks up his keys, lets himself out of his apartment and locks the door behind him. He tells himself all the way across town to turn around, to pull over and call Finn and just make an excuse. He's still telling himself that when he pulls up in front of Burt Hummel's house, hands gripping the steering wheel hard as he peers out the windshield at brightly lit windows and a string of multi-colored Christmas lights along the roof.

Then the front door opens and Finn's standing in the doorway, frowning at Will's car and lifting his hand in an awkward wave. Will blows out a breath and shuts off the engine, then he pastes a broad grin on his face and gets out of the car to wave back at Finn.


End file.
